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The Northern Lights are forecast to return this week to the continental US after a weekend display in northern and eastern states — a prelude to the much stronger aurora borealis expected on Wednesday.
KIRUNA, SWEDEN – MARCH 7: The Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights, are seen in … [+]
Key facts
There may be a chance to catch the Northern Lights on Tuesday evening as the aurora has a Kp index of three, meaning the lights will move further from the poles and appear brighter to observers, according to the National Association of Ocean and Atmosphere.
It comes after a coronal mass ejection – an explosion of solar material – last week triggered a strong G3 geomagnetic storm that resulted in the display of the Northern Lights over the weekend.
The aurora is forecast to be stronger and visible for even more states on Wednesday with a Kp index of four after NOAA announced a geomagnetic storm watch after a cooler region of the sun (called a filament) triggered another coronal mass ejection of on Saturday.
Solar activity has been extremely busy in recent months as the sun’s 11-year solar cycle approaches its predicted peak between late 2024 and early 2026, with sunspots expected to intensify over the next year and has likely to cause more geomagnetic storms.
Where will the northern lights be visible tonight?
Although it’s extremely difficult to predict where the Northern Lights will be visible, they may be most visible Tuesday evening in Canada and Alaska, according to NOAA (see image below). However, the continental US states within the line of sight of the aurora include the northernmost parts of Washington and Idaho, most of Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Watch the Northern Lights lineup July 2, 2024.
What is the best way to see the northern lights?
The lights are usually most active between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. For the best views of the Northern Lights, the agency advises traveling as close to the poles as possible, avoiding city lights and other light pollution, monitoring weather forecasts for the main viewing conditions and finding a position on a vantage point such as a hilltop.
What is the best way to photograph the Northern Lights?
Smartphone cameras are quite sensitive to get the aurora, even when it is invisible to the naked eye. Visit Iceland, a tourism website for Iceland, where the lights are often visible, advises turning on night mode to best maximize smartphone camera exposure.
Key background
Solar Cycle 25 — the cycle the sun goes through every 11 years — has been the cause of the geomagnetic storms that have resulted in recent Northern Lights sightings, and NASA predicts it will continue next year. Cycle 25 began in December 2019 and is estimated to reach its maximum – when activity is expected to peak – between late 2024 and early 2026. It is predicted to peak at 115 sunspots, where geomagnetic storms originate. Although the maximum has not yet occurred, the sun’s activity has been busier than scientists predicted, so it is possible that there will be even more geomagnetic storms leading up to 2025, although it is difficult to predict exactly which when will these storms occur.
tangential
NASA and NOAA launched a new satellite into space last week to better predict space weather and the Northern Lights. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite U (or GOES-U) mission launched last Tuesday aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in Florida. It is the fourth and final satellite in the R Series of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, which is “the Western Hemisphere’s most sophisticated weather observation and environmental monitoring system,” according to NOAA. The satellite will allow NOAA to issue geomagnetic storm watches one to four days in advance, as well as track and take pictures of other weather events such as lightning and fog.